MEETINGS OF STATES PARTIES

"Graffiti Against Landmines"Giant mural designed by Serval, Jazi and Jag on the occasion of the Seventh Meeting of States parties, September 2006 (fragment)

Pursuant to Article 11, paragraph 1 of the Ottawa Convention, the States parties shall meet regularly in order to consider any matter with regard to the application or implementation of this Convention, including:

(a) The operation and status of this Convention;

(b) Matters arising from the reports submitted under the provisions of this Convention;

(c) International cooperation and assistance in accordance with Article 6;

(d) The development of technologies to clear anti-personnel mines;

(e) Submissions of States parties under Article 8; and

(f) Decisions relating to submissions of States parties as provided for in Article 5.

In accordance with paragraph 2 of the same Article, the First Meeting of States parties was convened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations within one year after the entry into force of the Convention in Maputo, Mozambique, from 3 to 7 May 1999. Pursuant to the same provision, subsequent meetings were convened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations annually until the First Review Conference as follows: in Geneva, Switzerland, from 11 to 15 September 2000; in Managua, Nicaragua, from 18 to 21 September 2001; in Geneva, Switzerland, from 16 to 20 September 2002; in Bangkok, Kingdom of Thailand, from 15 to 19 September 2003.

In accordance with Article 12 of the Convention, the Secretary-General of the United Nations convened the First Review Conference five years after the entry into force of this Convention in Nairobi, Kenya, from 29 November to 3 December 2004. The First Review Conference decided, inter alia, that meetings of the States parties shall be convened annually until the Second Review Conference (see paragraph 32 (a) of the Final Report of the Conference, APLC/CONF/2004/5).

Following the above decision, subsequent meetings of the States parties were convened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations as follows: in Zagreb, Croatia, from 28 November to 2 December 2005; in Geneva, Switzerland, from 18 to 22 September 2006; in Amman (Dead Sea), Jordan from 18 to 22 November 2007; in Geneva, Switzerland, from 24 to 28 November 2008.

Pursuant to Article 12, paragraph 1, of the Convention, and the decision by the Ninth Meeting of the States Parties, as contained in paragraph 33 of the Final Report of the Meeting, (APLC/MSP.9/2008/4), the Second Review Conference was convened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Cartagena, Colombia, from 30 November to 4 December 2009.The Second Review Conference decided, inter alia, that meetings of the States parties shall be convened annually until the Third Review Conference to be held at the end of 2014 (see paragraphs 29 (i) and 29 (ii) of the Final Report of the Conference, APLC/CONF/2009/9).

In accordance with the above decision of the Second Review Conference, subsequent meetings were convened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations as follows: in Geneva, Switzerland, from 29 November to 3 December 2010; in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from 28 November to 2 December 2011; in Geneva, Switzerland, from 3 to 7 December 2012 and from 2 to 5 December 2013.

The Third Review Conference of the States parties to the Convention (23-27 June 2014, Maputo, Mozambique) decided that, beginning in 2015, a Meeting of the States Parties will be convened each year at the end of November or beginning of December until the end of 2018, and that the Fourth Review Conference will be held at the end of 2019.

The work of the meetings and the decisions taken therein are reflected in their final reports.